2024-06-14 02:00:03
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) member Santanu Sinha, whose social media post on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya triggered a political row prompting the latter to serve him a legal notice, said on Tuesday that his statements were misinterpreted.
Sinha, a Kolkata-based lawyer, expressed his “heart-felt sorrow” in a fresh social media post on Tuesday but refused to take down the earlier post, which triggered the political row.
“No corner in the post there is any whisper about sexual exploitation of women by Amit Malviya. Rather I have expressed my fear if Malviya will be drawn into honey trap by the unscrupulous leaders of the party to remain clinging to their post despite such debacle in the recently held assembly election,” Sinha wrote on Tuesday.
Malviya sent a legal notice to Sinha on June 8 saying that his social media post on June 7, in which he accused Malviya of sexual misconduct, was “false and derogatory”.
Malviya demanded a sum of ₹10 crore for mental harassment and loss of reputation. He also sought a public apology from Sinha and asked him to take down the post in three days. The deadline ended on Tuesday.
“In a media interview Sinha has denied having made any such comments. The three-day deadline ends today. If no or inadequate response is received, appropriate legal action will follow,” Malviya said earlier in the day.
Sinha also attacked the Congress accusing it of spreading hate campaign against Malviya and the BJP based on his Facebook post.
On Monday Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate demanded immediate removal of Malviya as BJP’s IT cell head, at a press conference in New Delhi. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal also attacked the BJP over allegations against Malviya.
“Despite intimidation by Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya), member of Sangh — Santanu Sinha — is firm on his stand and has not pulled down his social media post where Sinha highlighted how RAPISTS-RECRUITER Amit Malviya sexually abused women in Five-star hotels and BJP Party office,” TMC spokesperson Riju Dutta posted on X. “What is more shameful is that [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi has turned a blind eye to Malviya’s deeds which is not first of its kind. Reality is Modi has turned BJP into a Party of rapists & sexual predators and is defending the likes of Brij Bhushan, Malviya from the front. Disgrace!” Riju Dutta, TMC spokesperson, wrote on X on Monday.
The BJP had rubbished Sinha’s allegations saying that they were baseless.
